As articles having a non-contact communication function, there are known a non-contact integrated circuit (IC) card, and mobile terminals having a non-contact communication function, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, and a tablet terminal. As non-contact communication methods, there are known an electromagnetic communication method using electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic waves, a magnetic communication method, an optical communication method, and a combination of a plurality of those methods. Of those methods, the electromagnetic communication method is widely used for the reasons of stability and versatility in communication.
Further, many of those types of articles include a recording medium configured to record data in a rewritable manner. This type of article including the recording medium can be used for cashless payment of purchased products and services as an alternative to cash by recording value data, which is also called electronic money or the like, to the recording medium.
Meanwhile, when a non-contact communication device configured to perform non-contact communication to/from the article having the non-contact communication function is used for cashless payment as described above, the non-contact communication device is used in association with a payment device serving as a host device installed in a shop or the like.
As modes of the non-contact communication device to be used in association with the payment device regarding how the non-contact communication device is associated with the payment device, there are known a non-contact communication device that is installed separately from the payment device, and a non-contact communication device that is integrally mounted to the payment device. As an example of separate installation, there is known a non-contact communication device arranged close to a payment device, which is also called a cash register device, installed on a reception counter at shops or accommodation facilities. As an example of integral mounting, there is known a non-contact communication device mounted on a casing of a payment device, which is also called an outdoor apparatus, installed at self-service filling stations.
The cashless payment using the non-contact communication device is basically executed as follows. First, the article, for example, the non-contact IC card or the mobile terminal, is correctly positioned with respect to an antenna, which is included in the non-contact communication device, and serves as a connection interface. Next, non-contact communication is established between the non-contact communication device and the article via the antenna. Subsequently, the non-contact communication device reads out value data from the recording medium of the article, and transmits the value data to the payment device serving as the host device as necessary. Next, payment processing is performed by the payment device. Further, the non-contact communication device writes the updated value data to the recording medium of the article based on the result of payment by the payment device. Thus, the cashless payment is ended, and the payment processing is finished.
In this case, the article, for example, the non-contact IC card or the mobile terminal, is required to maintain a certain positional relationship with respect to the antenna of the non-contact communication device so that normal non-contact communication is performed during a time period from the start to the end of the above-mentioned cashless payment. In other words, when performing the cashless payment, the user is required to continuously hold the article at a correct position for a predetermined time period. This may be difficult and inconvenient for the user.
Therefore, in some cases, the non-contact communication device mounted to the payment device, for example, the outdoor apparatus includes a placement portion for enabling the user to release the article from his or her hand and place the article thereon so as to eliminate the need for the user to continuously hold the article at the correct position. The placement portion specifically includes a space portion, which is formed in a front panel of the payment device, and a placement surface portion, which is formed in a bottom surface of the space portion, and on which the article is to be placed. The space portion is formed in the front panel of the payment device, for example, the outdoor apparatus, so as to have such an opening area that the user can insert the article with hands and visually recognize whether or not the article is placed at a correct position. Further, the antenna is built into the placement surface portion.
This type of non-contact communication device is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. The non-contact communication device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is mounted to a data processing device, and includes a placement portion on which a non-contact IC card or a mobile terminal is to be placed.